When the Liverpool boys basketball team made its way to Cicero-North Syracuse for the renewal of their rivalry last Friday night, it had already made one great escape during the week.
And while the Warriors’ 73-53 win over the Northstars proved entertaining in its own right, it could not match the wild nature of what had taken place at Fayetteville-Manlius three nights earlier.
There, Liverpool seemed beaten before a stunning last-minute turnaround in regulation led to a 79-73 overtime win over the Hornets.
Trailing 36-27 at halftime and by as much as 14 at one point, Liverpool had stormed back to tie it 49-49 going to the fourth quarter, only to have F-M go back in front. When Josh Michel converted a basket and free throw with 37.8 seconds left, the Hornets led 64-58.
Then Jack Pento drained a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the ensuing free throw. Even with that, the Hornets were up 67-64 until Jacob Works got open and sank another 3-pointer at the horn to force OT.
Then, in the last minute of the extra period, another Works 3-pointer keyed the final surge as he finished the night with 26 points, while Pento poured in 15 points. Kyle Caves had 13 points and Romeo Clarke added 11 points.
While that was going on, C-NS took a 60-39 defeat to Henninger, yet another instance where the Northstars played an opponent close for a long stretch.
The Northstars only trailed the Black Knights 33-31 through three periods before Henninger dominated the fourth quarter, seeing Zakir Faircloth-Williams (16 points), Carlito Aldamuy (14 points), Tong Mading and Rasheed Bailey (10 points) apiece all hit double figures.
Again, Luke Paragon would pace C-NS, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Kevin Felasco finished with nine points.
Now the Northstars turned to its rematch with Liverpool and, just like with Henninger, the Northstars were competitive for long stretches and then things got away.
Though up 18-13 through one period, the Warriors had a difficult time gaining full control against a well-balanced C-NS attack.
But Liverpool closed on a 27-11 run, Works leading the way by earning 18 points as Pento had 14 points and Jacob Vacco made an emphatic return to the lineup, earning 13 points.
Paragon also had 13 points to pace the Northstars, adding nine rebounds. Joe Penizotto had 11 points, with Brian Bonin getting 10 points and Grant Sennett adding nine points.
After the loss to Liverpool, C-NS would take on F-M and Corcoran this week as the Warriors go to Baldiwnsville on Tuesday and visit Nottingham Friday night.
